Severe weather in the US has significantly strained the airline industry, impacting flights and schedules globally.

In crisis situations, airlines must respond quickly to customer requests and make crucial operational decisions while adhering to safety standards.

Generative AI to the Rescue

Several airlines are implementing generative AI to address these challenges and improve efficiency and responsiveness.

Air France-KLM has created a cloud-based generative AI "factory" to standardize and reuse AI model development. In collaboration with Accenture and Google Cloud, the company has seen a 35% increase in development speed. The factory supports ground operations, engineering, maintenance, and customer service, with a private AI assistant and RAG tools to diagnose and repair aircraft damage.

United Airlines is exploring AI to speed up decision-making during operational disruptions. The company uses AI to respond to passenger inquiries, maintaining a consistent communication style. AI analyzes flight data, weather conditions, and internal communications to generate personalized messages for customers.

AI Maturity in the Sector

According to Boston Consulting Group, the airline sector is at a "medium" level in terms of AI maturity. By 2030, airlines that integrate AI into their workflows could increase operating margins by 5-6%. AI can reduce the causes of flight delays by up to 35% and increase revenue per passenger by 10-15% through personalization. Automating customer service through AI can lead to cost reductions of up to 30%.

For those evaluating on-premise deployments, there are trade-offs to consider. AI-RADAR offers analytical frameworks on /llm-onpremise to evaluate these aspects.